


A Tree Without Roots

by MizEmily



Category: Captive Prince - S. U. Pacat
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Headcanon, If any of this actually happened it would make the events of Marlas that much sadder, but this is cute so shhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-14 23:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2207775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizEmily/pseuds/MizEmily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laurent meets Damen at Marlas before the war.</p><p>Just a little brain vomit I had after reading Captive Prince. What if 9 year old Laurent and 19 year old Auguste had met 14 year old Damianos before the war?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tree Without Roots

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @moregeous-tbh and on twitter @mizemily

"You’re very good."

"Thank you."

"For a barbarian."

Laurent knew what his brother’s voice sounded like when he was angry, and when he was not. He could imagine nothing but a smile gracing Auguste’s lips as he spoke mischief to the Akielon prince, and his suspicions were confirmed as he rounded the corner into the small courtyard where Auguste and Damianos stood, swords held by their sides.

"Ah, Laurent," Auguste grinned. "Here to cheer your brother to victory?"

Damianos turned his head, dark hair sweeping his shoulder, and smirked at Laurent. All Laurent could do, all he had done since the bronze-skinned Akielon had first graced his presence here at Marlas, was blush and hide his face against the cool stone of the fortress wall. Damianos was tall, and handsome, and so strong, and had been more courteous than Laurent had been expecting, given his father’s general disdain of the Akielon people. And he and Auguste had been thick as thieves since the first time they’d laid eyes on each other, which only proved to Laurent that Damianos was worthy of his affections, just like his beautiful, brave brother.

"He is here to congratulate the winner," Damianos said in heavily accented Veretian. "Which, of course, will be me."

With a wink in Laurent’s direction, Damianos turned and brought his sword up once more. He and Auguste dealt blow after blow with the wooden blades, until Damianos was finally brought to his knees by Auguste’s precise strikes. Auguste held his dull blade to Damianos’ throat.

"Will you yield?" Auguste asked, chin held high, one corner of his lip curled in betrayal of his demeanor.

"Never."

"Spare him, brother!" Laurent cried, hands fisted into the long, loose sleeves of his navy tunic. "He fought honorably."

"He did. But many of our enemies will. Should we spare them all?"

Laurent looked from his brother to Damianos, noting the smiles on both their faces. 

"It isn’t fair," he said. 

"What if he had bested me? Would you still wish to spare him?"

"I— I don’t know. Perhaps."

"You would save the life of the man who had just slain your brother?" Laurent knew Auguste was only teasing him, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering shyly to the Akielon prince who knelt at his brother’s feet.

"Perhaps," he continued, "if both causes were equally just. After all, you would have slain him and thought it for the best."  
Auguste chuckled, and Damianos flashed white teeth.

"You have a gentle heart, Laurent," Auguste noted. "It is just as well I am firstborn. We can’t have the threat of peace looming over our heads. How would we ever survive your rule?"

Damianos stood, heedless of the wooden blade at his neck, and turned to Laurent.  
"I’d weather it gladly," he rumbled, one large hand rising to ruffle Laurent’s pale hair. "If only we could all be so lucky to have someone as kind as you in our lives."


End file.
